Syphilis Topics

Syphilis - What Happens

About 3 weeks—although the
range is from 10 to 90 days—after a person is infected with
syphilis, a sore (chancre) that is
usually painless often appears on the genitals. This first stage in the course
of syphilis is referred to as the primary stage. The
chancre usually heals without treatment in 3 to 6 weeks.

If
syphilis is not treated during the primary stage, it often progresses to later
stages.

In the secondary stage of syphilis,
a skinrash will usually develop about 2 to 12 weeks after the chancre appears. The
symptoms usually disappear without treatment within 2 months.

After the rash clears, a person may have a period with no symptoms. This
symptom-free period is called the latent (hidden) stage.
Even though symptoms disappear, the bacteria that cause syphilis remain in the
body and begin to damage the internal organs. The latent period may be as brief
as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years.

A person is contagious
during the primary and secondary stages and may still be contagious during the
early part of the latent stage. During this time, symptoms of
the second stage of syphilis may reappear. This is called a
relapse and can occur several times.

If
not detected and treated, syphilis may then progress to the tertiary (late) stage, the most destructive stage of syphilis.
During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and heart problems,
mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. It may
begin as early as 1 year after infection or at any time during the infected
person's life. About one-third of untreated people who are infected
with syphilis will have the complications of tertiary (late) syphilis. Any
organ system (such as the
central nervous system) may become involved.